Overview
- Xibei will shutter 102 locations over the first quarter, with some outlets staying open long enough to serve booked Lunar New Year banquets before closing.
- Unverified internal accounts circulating online claim 125 days of negative cash flow since September 2025 and losses exceeding 500 million yuan, with no independent confirmation.
- A circulated closure list points to heavy reductions in Shanghai (19), Beijing (10) and Shenzhen (8), with additional pullbacks in other major cities and some sites still negotiating rent cuts or under review.
- Founder Jia Guolong says the brand suffered broad defamation and argues critics conflated central‑kitchen prep with meal‑kit ‘pre‑made’ food, rejecting that label for Xibei’s restaurants.
- Entrepreneur Luo Yonghao counters that businesses do not fail solely due to online attacks and alleges Xibei used pre‑made items, as Jia schedules a comprehensive response at 10 p.m. on Jan. 16 and seeks an apology and damages tied to the frozen organic broccoli dispute.